ABSTRACT
The sacred interior of Hagia Sophia was seen as a symbol of divine light and beauty reflective of Pseudo-Dionysius’ system of thought. Even though PseudoDionysius was not concerned with artistic representations of the divine, his preoccupation with the basic question of how the invisible divine reality can be apprehended through the visible world makes the Corpus Areopagiticum an influential source for the theory and practice of art in the Byzantine Empire, particularly in the context of, and in response to, the iconoclastic controversy.1 Pseudo-Dionysius’ positive assessment of material objects and their use to initiate the ascent of the soul was not an ex novo development, but belongs to the theurgic tradition of earlier Neoplatonists such as Iamblichus and Proclus. Specifically, Proclus’ metaphysics and ontology is an essential precursor. Proclus’ continuous chain of σύμβολα / σύνθεματα that bind together the created universe and bridge the gap between the intelligible and the sensible realm, present an important step towards a more positive re-evaluation of the material world. This implies that works of art can potentially form an important link within these chains, too. The famous Zeus statue of Phidias, for example, was interpreted by Plotinus and Proclus alike as being divinely illuminated, reflecting qualities beyond the perceptible that had been mediated through the creative act of the sculptor.2
